LADY GAGA
Artpop
***
A darker 50 shades of Gaga.
IF there is one thing you can count on Lady Gaga for – it is to push the envelope. My first listen to Artpop, her third album, was an indescribable disappointment.
The references to Venus and Uranus and a myriad intergalactic references make you wonder if she has taken the “Little Monsters” phrase a little too personally.
I think before you listen to this release, you need to understand Gaga’s psyche. She pays homage to her journey in the industry, sometimes in a tongue-in-cheek manner and always in full-on theatrical style.
After several listens, the album has started to grow on me.
The lyrics are sexually charged and dirty (as a friend put it). She has certainly revolutionised the whole modern pop anthem. This may not necessarily be readily celebrated, though; but it is what we have come to expect from Gaga – outrageous, OTT and in your face.
She explores various themes, from fame, feminism and addiction to love and sex.
And the songs will definitely be a hit in clubs.
What’s also interesting is seeing how Gaga is diversifying by exploring techno and disco elements. You can gauge this simply by glancing at the nams of the producers on the album, like Paul “DJ White Shadow” Blair, Nick Monson, will.i.am and David Guetta. Let’s not forget Gaga’s collaborations on T.I., Too Short and Twista on Jewels ’n’ Drugs and R Kelly on Do What U Want.
The songs that have grown on me include Sexxx Dreams (this might crack the nod as the theme song for the 50 Shades of Grey movie), Donatella, where Gaga gives gives the finger to those who criticise her taste in fashion and individuality, and Mary Jane Holland.
Sometimes we forget that when Gaga slows things down she is mesmerising. And Gypsy as well as Applause perfectly encapsulate this artist who, in experimenting musically, pushes the envelope constantly.
As I pointed out, some may think this album is Dope; others, well… – Debashine Thangevelo